A page to share random musings... an odd butterfly fluttering around.. a rare bloom to talk about... my next trip to plan... and yes, the new maid has joined!
A page belonging to an author, a traveller, a compulsive decision maker of late... do keep dropping in to catch up on some gupp-shupp with me and do be prepared to put up with some anaap-shnaap rantings too :D

Last week I attended the Golden Jubilee Reunion of the 1967 batch of Civil Services, in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.

I presented the following of my books to the Director Ms. Upma Chaudhary for the library of the Academy:

i. The Last Post- Inscriptions on French graves in India;
ii. The Balasore Papers: a compendium of important documents relating to the
Anglo-French dispute ever the French loge in Balasore India, 1693-1949;
iii. Some vignettes of Balasore and its French Loge;
iv. Respectful Homage to Martyr Gabar Singh Negi, Victoria Cross;
v. Homage to Odia martyrs of World War-I, commemorated in the Mazargues Military Cemetery, Marseilles, France;
vi. Homage to 993 Indian Soldiers who died defending France during World War-I, commemorated in the Mazargues Military Cemetery, Marseilles, France;

I felt honoured when the Academy put up a special display of my earlier books with their library along with the new books on display, side by side with the books by other civil services batch mates:
vii. From Metcalfe House to Charleville - Memoirs (Jointly edited by me along with Dr. V.K.Agnihotri);
viii. The French Collection;
ix. A Glance at France;
x. Managing better with checklists.

This display was done for two successive days out side the Dining Hall in Gyanshila in the LBSNAA.

Thank you LBSNAA.

Following is the list of my other books:xi. The Foreign Policy of France
xii. The Wetlands of India (Ed.)
xiii. India in the Debates of the French Parliament- 1945-1988
xiv. Vers La Lumiere- A Study of the French School System
xv. Human Rights for Education and Democracy (Ed.), Indian Institute of Advanced
Study, Shimla.
xvi. France- A Brief Bibliography
xvii. The Joy of Mental Health (Ed.) On the writings of Dr. N.N.Wig.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

I admire Mr. Mr. Ravi Shankar. I must confess that I have no idea about his work as 'a humanitarian, spiritual leader and an ambassador of peace', as his website claims. Well, I admire him for a different reason. He has managed to retain thick jet black hair at the age of 61- his birthday was celebrated recently.

I also admire the American President Mr. Donald Trump for a similar reason- I love the luxurious growth of silver hair on his head. Our own beloved Prime Minister looks so dignified with his silver hair and beard.

But we all cant be Mr. Mr., the American President or the India Prime Minister. I had, all my life, been wanting to have my head full of silver hair as I find it very impressive. But alas, my greying of hair and falling of hair started simultaneously. Now I have reached a stage when I have very little hair left on the head.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

For a dear friend who is a stone art expert.This photo was taken at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Boulogne, near Calais in France.

I had gone there to visit and pay my homage to 318 Indian and Nepalese soldiers and non-combatants who died around that area defending France during the World War-I. They lie buried/commemorated in the Meerut Military Cemetery in Boulogne St. James waiting for over a hundred years for their fellow Indians to come and visit them.

Sadly, the people of that French town, where this cemetery is located do not remember the sacrifices made by these brave Indians.

My book on Indian & Nepalese brave hearts of Meerut Military Cemetery, Boulogne St. James, France. is coming out shortly.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Soul being taken to heaven, hell or whatever! (Photo by: KJS Chatrath )

Not
noticing any new post by me on the Facebook for 10 long days, half a dozen of
my friends got together in concern.

‘Well, our friend Chat used to be very active on the
Facebook- about 10 posts a day and now there has been no new post for ten full
days, so one must conclude that the inevitable has happened’said the oldest of my friends initiating the
conference.

‘Oh
merde’, exclaimed my friend who had learnt French at the
local Aliance Francaise half a century ago.

‘He was quite a rummy, that chappie Chat’, said one
of my friends who is an avid fan of P.G. Wodehouse.

‘Since he was an atheist, he couldn’t have been
admitted in ‘hell’, though I personally feel he was fully qualified for it, and
of course he was under qualified for an entry to heaven’ said anotherone of my ‘friends’ and added, ‘Wonder where
do such fellows go after death.’

‘Good heavens’, was all that my holy religious type
friend could say.

‘What the hell’ was what another disappointed friend
added.

‘The chappie hadn’t lost it yet but the poor thing
had started losing things lately- you know, passport, suitcase and that sort of
rummy. Yes but one thing the old scoundrel didn’t lose till the end was his
sense of humour’, interjected the Wodehouse admirer friend.

‘Tut, tut, said the politically correct type,
reminding all of the old limerick ‘Of the gone and the dead, nothing but the
good shall be said’!

And then there was a dead silence. The friend
chairing the conference call said, ‘Friends, a new entry on FB by Chat has been
just noticed’ he divulged.

‘What! Does it mean that he has managed to get an FB
connection up there?’ queried a friend.

‘Hellno! It
means that he is travelling and having a chilled beer some where in this world
and here we are trying desperately to find some good things to say about
thatold rogue’said the friend chairing the meetingand concludedby announcing that the meeting was over but thoughtfully added, ‘Let’s
have a drink to it!’

Monday, May 1, 2017

'Bahubali - The Conclusion' has really created quite a hype. A good deal of money seems to have been spent to create a hoopla around the film.

I normally do not go to Multi-Screen halls for watching films, though one of these is just walking distance from my flat. The main reason is that I find Rs.150/ - for a ticket too steep. I wait for the movies to come on the TV channels.

I had not seen 'Bahubal- the Beginning' when it came a few years back.

So when the 'Bahubali the Conclusion' opened, I switched on the TV and found 'Bahubali- the Beginning' being shown by a channel.

And was I disappointed! I could not see it for more than 5 minutes. It was just too gaudy, crass trash.

And having got a sense of 'Bahubali', I am not interested in knowing why Katappa killed Bahubali.

No, thank you Mr. Rajmouli.

These are my cautious first remarks as I will again try to see the 'Beginning' and would see the 'Conclusion' when it comes on TV and then make my final comments.